Navy installs laser weapon on destroyer USS Dewey to attack and kill a variety of targets like enemy drones

WASHINGTON – Enemy drones over the ocean could track and surveil U.S. Navy ships, designate targets for aircraft or maritime attacks, or even fire dangerous weapons themselves at surface ships. Fox News reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

9 March 2020 -- This reality is one of many key reasons the Navy has now installed a new counter drone “dazzler” laser weapon aboard one of its destroyers for the first time, bringing new offensive and defensive warfare possibilities to the fleet.

The Navy’s Optical Dazzling Interdictor, or ODIN laser weapon, has been installed on the Navy destroyer USS Dewey, a report from Naval Sea Systems Command said.

The ODIN is configured to track and disable enemy drones by throwing them off course and jamming their sensors, says a December 2019 Congressional Research Service report called Navy Lasers, Railgun, and Gun-Launched Guided Projectile.

Related: Navy shipboard laser weapon kills boats and UAVs during three-month at-sea tests in Persian Gulf

Related: Navy asks Northrop Grumman to build new shipboard laser weapon that builds on LaWS technologies

Related: Navy appears to be moving forward with fielding prototype laser weapons aboard the destroyer USS Dewey

John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics